Congress Worked, But The 2020 Elections Paid A Price – Wertheimer piece
Enclosed for your information is a piece by Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer entitled, “Congress Worked, But The 2020 Elections Paid A Price,” which was published on Medium today, March 26, 2020.
Read the full piece below or here.
Congress Worked, But The 2020 Elections Paid A Price
By Fred Wertheimer | 3/26/2020 | Medium
Congress worked.
This happened because of the extraordinary crisis facing the country and the need for swift action. While it may not seem so to some, this is Congress acting at warp speed.
The Phase 3 stimulus package is a bipartisan bill reflecting the priorities of both parties. The bill contains some provisions objected to by one side or the other, and does not contain other provisions that each side sought. But, overall it was historically important legislation to address the coronavirus crisis.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, working with Speaker Nancy Pelosi, did a masterful job of reaching a bipartisan agreement with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, just as Speaker Pelosi had done a masterful job with Mnuchin on the Phase 2 stimulus.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell started the process with a highly partisan bill heavily tilted to Corporate America.
Democracy, however, paid a heavy price in the Phase 3 legislation, as McConnell refused to provide the estimated $2 billion necessary for the states to prepare for and ensure fair and honest elections in November. Instead McConnell held the funding to only one-fifth of that amount – a wholly inadequate $400 million.
This money is essential to equip states to increase their ability to conduct absentee voting, provide for voting by mail, and take the precautions necessary to ensure in-person voting can be done safely.
McConnell apparently blocked the money to provide partisan advantage for the Republicans by making it harder for people to vote, particularly for minorities and low-income individuals.
Meanwhile his patron, President Trump, sees advantage in chaos and the ability to cheat.
He has already tried to rig the 2020 presidential election, for which he was impeached.
There is every reason to believe Trump will continue to try to rig, if not steal, the 2020 presidential election.
A huge number of groups led by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and the Brennan Center for Justice worked very hard to push for the full $2 billion for funding the November elections to be included in the stimulus package. The effort included the Declaration for American Democracy coalition, which Democracy 21 helps lead, and the civil rights coalition.
Another stimulus package is likely to be considered by Congress in a month or so.
Democracy 21 will again join with these groups to conduct a nationwide advocacy and grassroots campaign to demand that the next stimulus bill includes the money essential to ensure a fair, honest, and unrigged election in November.
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